Robert Dinwiddie returns to European Challenge Tour action Italy this week in the inaugural Mugello Tuscany Open looking to extend his lead at the top of the Rankings.
The Englishman is €8,841 clear of compatriot Charlie Ford, winner of the Turkish Airlines Challenge hosted by Carya Golf Club, and he will be buoyed by a strong showing on The European Tour last week.
Dinwiddie finished tied 13th in the Iberdrola Open Cala Millor Mallorca, posting a fine bogey-free final round to head to UNA Poggio dei Medici Golf Club, in Florence, brimming with confidence.
The 27 year old is looking to emulate Italian Edoardo Molinari, who won both the Piemonte Open and Italian Federation Cup in Italy before going on to finish the season as Challenge Tour Number One.
Those performances helped Molinari secure an instant return to The European Tour – as well as a meteoric rise up the Official World Golf Ranking – which is an aim shared by Dinwiddie who, like the elder Molinari brother, has had a taste of life among golf’s elite.
Two years ago he set a new course record of 63 over Wentworth Club’s West Course in the BMW PGA Championship, and while he will have to watch The European Tour’s flagship event from afar this week, a return to that particular grand stage remains his ultimate goal for the season.
Dinwiddie already has one Challenge Tour victory under his belt this campaign following his triumph in the Kenya Open, which came after his fifth place finish in the season opening Abierto Internacional de Golf 'Il Copa Antioquia' in Colombia.
Another Englishman, Andrew Marshall, and Welshman Stuart Manley will also have been boosted by their displays on The European Tour last week, where they were in a four-way share of ninth place.
Joining them in the field will be Ford and fellow Englishman Sam Walker, winner last time out in the ALLIANZ Open Cotes D’Armor Bretagne a fortnight ago. Walker will be chasing back-to-back victories having secured his first triumph since the 2006 Scottish Challenge.
“It’s been a tough 18 months so I’m just glad to be back playing well and winning again,” said Walker. “Winning (in Brittany) will be great for my confidence and will hopefully set the standard for the rest of the season. It would be nice to kick on from here and use this as a building block for the rest of the year and hopefully finish in the top ten of the Rankings.”
The home threat will include two-time Challenge Tour winner Alessandro Tadini, who is looking for his first victory since the Oceânico Group Pro-Am Challenge in 2008.
Showing the new generation of Italian youngsters how to do it will be the country’s most decorated golfer, former Ryder Cup player and Open Championship runner-up Costantino Rocca.
The Senior Tour star won three times on the Challenge Tour in 1989, and is making a rare return to Challenge Tour action having also competed in the BMW Italian Open on The European Tour earlier this month.
The Mugello Tuscany Open, which has a prize fund of €150,000, marks the first of three visits to Italy this season.
Co-designed by Italian architect Alvise Rossi Fioravanti and European Tour champion Baldovino Dassù, the 7,114 yard (6,503 metres), par 71 UNA Poggio dei Medici Golf Club has previously played host to the Ladies Italian Open between 1999 and 2003.
